


A Magic Four Letter Word

by chibi_tsukiko



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Cute Kids, Cute Max Lightwood-Bane, Cute Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Fluff, Good Parent Magnus Bane, I'm so soft for Dad Magnus ok??, Lightwood-Banes Being a Family, M/M, Protective Magnus Bane, Protective Max Lightwood-Bane, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26133787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_tsukiko/pseuds/chibi_tsukiko
Summary: Rafael has a nightmare, Magnus knows exactly how to help.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Max Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane
Comments: 16
Kudos: 175





	A Magic Four Letter Word

Magnus wakes with a start. He waits for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before sitting up. He takes a few deep breaths to relax himself and moves the strands of hair sticking to his forehead out of his eyes. He checks his phone, _1:04 am. New Message._ He clicks it open.

> _Alexander 12:30 am: The next time Jace asks me to come with him on a scouting mission, you can answer him. Hopefully, the boys didn’t give you too much trouble with bedtime. 😕I’ll see you in a couple hours. ♥️_

Magnus, huffs. _Oh, our Bluebell certainly did_ , he thinks. He had to read Max ten bedtime stories and promise him chocolate chip pancakes in the morning just to get him to into bed. It took nearly four lullabies before Max had finally fallen asleep. Rafe had gone to bed without bargaining. _I hope Max’s behavior doesn’t rub off on him_ , Magnus thinks. He puts his phone back on the nightstand and sighs. 

He gets up from the bed and grabs his silk robe he had laid across the chair in the corner. He snaps his fingers, summoning a cup of tea, and heads out towards the sitting area. He stops short in the hallway when he notices a large shadow on the couch.

“ _Rafael_?”

Rafe peaks his head out from the blanket, the moonlight from the balcony doors catching the ends of his chestnut curls.

“What are you doing out here?” Magnus asks, kneeling down in front of Rafe, who fidgets with the blanket he’s cocooned in. Rafe’s curls cling to his forehead and around his ears, and there’s a ring of sweat around the collar of his shirt. Magnus places the back of his hand against Rafe’s forehead.

“Are you feeling sick?”, he asks.

Rafe shakes his head.

Magnus’ anxiety wains slightly. He pushes some wet strands away from Rafe’s face.

“Bad dream?,” he asks softly.

Rafe grips the blanket, pulling it tighter around his shoulders, “ _d-demonios_ ”, he whispers, his voice shaking.

Magnus sees the tears swell up in Rafes’ eyes and his heart breaks. His own nightmare forgotten, he places his hand on Rafe’s knee giving a small squeeze, “Would you like to sleep with me tonight?”

Rafe looks up, eyes glistening in the moonlight. Slowly, he nods his head and Magnus smiles.

He stands and holds out his arms, “Come along then” he says.

Rafe immediately unwraps himself from his blanket cocoon and stands on the sofa so he can put his arms around Magnus’s neck. Magnus grabs the blanket with his free hand and carries Rafe back to the bedroom, glad for the company and the distraction.

Once in the bedroom Magnus deposits Rafe onto the bed, “Here we are. You can sleep on Daddy’s side,” Magnus winks and summons a small nightlight in the corner of the room, filling it with a rich orange hue.

He drapes his robe back over the chair, turns to get back in the bed, and stops. Rafe sits near the middle of the bed, his shoulders trembling as his hands fiddle with the blanket he had been wrapped in.

Magnus gets into bed, waiting for Rafe to crawl in closer to him as Max usually does, but Rafe doesn’t move.

Magnus frowns. Rafe has only been with them for a few weeks now, and though he’s adjusting well to everything, Magnus can still see the walls he’s built up.

“You’re just like me,”, he says quietly.

Rafe looks up at him in confusion.

Magnus smiles, “Whenever I have a bad dream, I usually go out to the couch too. I like to be as far away from the bad dream as possible.” _Especially when Alec isn’t around to ease his mind._

Rafe stares.

“In fact,”, Magnus continues, covering Rafes’ legs with the blanket, “I had one tonight and headed that way when I saw you.”

Rafes’ eyes go wide, he turns his body towards Magnus, scooting closer, “ _el demonios?_ ” He asks in a whisper.

Magnus hums, reaching out to tussle Rafes hair, “Yes, dreadful things aren’t they?”

Rafe nods.

“Why did _you_ go out to the couch?” Magnus asks, curious, but also hoping the conversation will help Rafe feel more relaxed.

Rafe looks up at the window behind Magnus, “ _la luna_ ” he says, pouting when he notices that he can’t see it.

“I see”, Magnus says. “I have an idea,” he sits back against the pillows and runs his hands together, muttering softly to himself. Slowly, a mist forms around his hands. Cloudy ribbons of blues and purples weave in between his fingers and cascade through the crevasses of his knuckles. As he pulls his hands apart the magic concentrates between his palms, creating a vortex of colors, all swirling together.

Rafe stares captivated his eyes twinkling, mouth agape.

“Ready?” Magnus asks.

Rafe nods vigorously.

Magnus tosses his hands up and the vortex explodes, stretching across the ceiling, turning the bland white roof into a galaxy.

Rafe gasps, staring up at the night sky Magnus created, awestruck.

“We’re just missing one thing,” Magnus says, he leans over and reaches behind Rafe’s ear, when he pulls back he holds a light in between his index finger and thumb, he flicks them up towards the ceiling and a moon appears among the stars.

Rafe beams, giggling as he grabs his ear and points up at the moon before looking back at Magnus.

Magnus grins, feeling his heart swell. There was a time in his life when he had feared his magic and the things it was capable of because of who he was. There’s a part of him that’s still fearful, but in moments like these, where he can use his magic to heal and bring joy. He’s reminded that _he_ is the one who decides who he is.

Rafe continues to stare at the floating moon above them in awe. Magnus watches contently until out of the corner of his eye he sees the door to the bedroom creak open.

“Bapa?” Max calls, before pushing the door fully open. “Bapa?,” he calls out again, stepping into the room, rubbing his eye, his blue octopus stuffed animal dragging behind him.

“What is it, my little Bluehorn?”

“Daddy home?”

“No, not yet.”

It’s then that Max realizes Rafe is in the bed. He points at him, “sleepover?”

Magnus looks at Rafe, “Sort of”, he says looking back at Max, “Rafe had a bad dream,” Magnus barely finishes before Max springs into action.

He gasps, running forward, climbing up onto the bed. He crawls in between Magnus and Rafe and thrusts his toy into Rafe’s arms.

“Here Occi protect! Bapa put spell make scary dreams go way!”, he beams looking at Magnus.

Magus rubs the top of Max’s head, “That’s very kind of you, Bluebell.”

Max giggles, patting Rafe on the back. Rafe tucks the plushie into his lap and looks back up to the ceiling. Max follows his gaze, his mouth opening wide in amazement.

“WOOOOOW! PWETTY!,” he exclaims.

Rafe points up at the moon and to his ear, speaking rapidly in Spanish.

Max turns to Magnus, who chuckles.

“He’s saying how he had the moon hiding behind his ear,” Magnus translates.

Max turns to Rafe, bouncing up and down, “Oh! Magic! Rafey magic!!” Max claps throwing his arms around Rafe pulling him into a hug.

Rafe grabs onto Max to steady himself, “ _Rafe_ ”, he corrects Max with a frown, but Magnus can see the sides of his mouth twitch.

Max giggles, grabbing one of Rafe’s hands, “More! More! More!”

Magnus shakes his head, “Not tonight, it’s late, and well past everyone’s bedtime.”

“Awww,” Max pouts, letting go of Rafe’s hand.

Rafe tenses again, pulling the octopus into his chest, “ _Me puedo quedar?_ ”

Magnus blinks, “of course you can stay, I said so before”, he watches as Rafes shoulders relax.

“Bapa, I stay too? Protect Rafe?” Max asks.

Magnus smiles, and looks to Rafe, “What do you think?”

Rafe thinks for a moment, and reaches out, grabbing Max’s hand, giving it a small squeeze before nodding his head.

Max grins ear to ear, throwing his arms around Rafe again.

“Then it’s settled,” Magnus says, “let’s get you both tucked in and off to sleep. Before you know it Daddy will be home and—“

“PANCAKES!” Max interrupts, moving to lie beside Rafe.

“Yes, yes, and then all the chocolate chip pancakes you can eat my ravenous Blueberry,” Magnus chuckles, leaning over Rafe to tickle Max’s stomach.

He tucks both boys in, and lays back against the pillows, watching as the spell he cast starts to disappear.

Suddenly, he feels a hand on his arm; he looks down, Rafe reaches out tentatively before he pulls his hand back.

Magnus shifts slightly so he can put his arm around Rafe and pulls him in so that his head can rest on Magnus’ chest. Max notices the shift and moves to wrap his arms around Rafes middle and presses himself against Rafes back. They are small enough that Magnus’ arm can wrap around both of them comfortably.

“Night Night Rafey, Night Bapa,” Max yawns.

“Good night Blueberry,” Magnus says, rubbing Max’s shoulder with his hand.

“ _Rafe_ ,” Rafael corrects again, and Magnus hears Max pat Rafes stomach in response.

Magnus chuckles quietly to himself, closing his eyes, ready for sleep to take him. He blinks himself awake when he feels Rafe grip his shirt and his body tense. Magnus moves his other hand and rubs it up and down Rafe’s shoulder.

“Shhhhh, it’s all right,” he whispers, “you’re safe.”

He lets his magic seep out of his fingers, something he’s done for Alec and Max before to help calm them down.

He feels Rafe relax his grip and snuggle in close.

“There you go,” Magnus says continuing to rub up and down his shoulder, “it’s all right. Shhhhh”

Rafe moves his arm to hug Magnus’ waist, “ _Gracias... Papa_ ,” he mumbles.

Magnus hand stutters from his ministrations, his magic sparking slightly in shock. He looks back up at the spell above him, the vortex nearly invisible, only the translucent moon remaining. He’s an all power warlock. He can summon demons, create galaxies in a bedroom, and has lived for centuries. Yet to Magnus, a simple four letter word, was more than all the magic in the world. He squeezes his eyes shut, willing the tears back in and presses a kiss to the top of Rafe’s head.

“Buenas noches, mi hijo.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> Come find my on Tumblr : @chibi-tsukiko <3


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